HAIN'T you ben gone away ?" "Gone away?
Why, what in the nation do you mean?
I hain't been gone anywheres.

Where would I go to ?" "Well, looky here, boss, dey's sumf'n wrong, dey is.

Is I ME, or who IS I?
Is I heah, or whah IS I?
Now dat's what I wants to know." "Well, I think you're here, plain enough, but I think you're a tangle-headed old fool, Jim." "I is, is I?
Well, you answer me dis: Didn't you tote out de line in de canoe fer to make fas' to de tow-head ?" "No, I didn't.

What tow-head?
I hain't see no tow-head." "You hain't seen no towhead?
Looky here, didn't de line pull loose en de raf' go a-hummin' down de river, en leave you en de canoe behine in de fog ?" "What fog ?" "Why, de fog!--de fog dat's been aroun' all night.

En didn't you whoop, en didn't I whoop, tell we got mix' up in de islands en one un us got los' en t'other one was jis' as good as los', 'kase he didn' know whah he wuz?
En didn't I bust up agin a lot er dem islands en have a turrible time en mos' git drownded?
Now ain' dat so, boss--ain't it so?
You answer me dat." "Well, this is too many for me, Jim.